so the car has about 153k on it and im driving home last night and i hear a tapping noise begin to start, i was only a few miles from the house so i took it easy and finished the drive home. it didn't seem to get louder or worse but was continuous and seemed to change faster or slower with the rpms. it sounded like it came from near my feet kind of coming through the side of the engine not so much the front or top of the engine. my guess is its a lifter but i felt like when i used the clutch i could feel it in the pedal, which may be im just feeling the vibration travel through the drivetrain. i havent got any low oil level sensors to light up or anything(doesnt mean it wasnt low though) and it was late and dark and didnt get a chance to check it yet. just trying to get a few ideas of what it might be before i pay someone a bunch of money to tear it apart. thanks for any help you can give!!

 

Might be loosing a rod or main bearing. Drain the oil and cut open the filter, see what you find.

 

1 make sure it's not a exhaust leak. Just determine where the noise is coming from! Inside the engine or somewhere else.

 

Forgot to mention that the motor seemed to run strong wasnt putting out any extra smoke or anything, wasnt sputtering or losing power, not sure if that makes a difference but thought id add it as it might help point a different direction as far as where the noise was coming from.

 

I would check for exhaust leaks first. Look at where your exhaust manifold mates up to the engine, and look for loose bolts or any black soot around the entire flange of the manifold. You might need a mirror to check the bottom side. You should also check for soot where the manifolds join the rest of the exhaust too.

 

Vibrations can be tough to diagnose. First start with the easy stuff: exhaust. Then I'd look at the front drive accessories because they can make weird noises.

Once you are sure it's not the culprit, move on to the valve covers to inspect the rockers for any play to rule out a collapsed lifter or failed trunion. If those are okay, grab and automotive stethoscope and make sure it's not on the bottom end of the motor.

If all of that checks out, it might be time to take a look at the clutch/flywheel and see if there is any issues there. To me, that's the worse one trying to remove and drop the trans on jackstands, so I'd save that for last once you've exhausted everything.

 

thanks guys. i know when i got my exhaust redone it would hit the frame of the car when the engine would torque up and rattle under my seat but that was obvious it was the exhaust and didnt sound anything like it does now, maybe it torqued up to much and shook something loose causing it to make some noise elsewhere.